{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"In The NOCO","title":"It’s a tough time to run a restaurant in Colorado. Can state lawmakers do anything to help? ","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":553,"description":"Colorado is a tough state to be a restaurant manager in right now. Every day seems to bring news that another local favorite is closing.  It's expensive to run a restaurant. Costs for food and real estate have been on the rise. And for restaurants along Colorado’s Front Range, there’s one especially thorny issue: – employee pay. For the last few years, Colorado’s minimum wage has been $14.81 an hour for non-tipped employees – more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25.  And the local minimum wage in cities like Denver and Boulder is even higher than the state’s.  That’s a challenge that many restaurateurs say makes it more difficult to stay afloat. KUNC reporter Emma VandenEinde has been exploring this story. She joined Erin O’Toole to talk about how a proposed law aims to help restaurant owners, and the community fallout when a favorite local eatery shuts down. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!  Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Producer: Ariel Lavery Executive Producer: Brad Turner  Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/deJ82RY9r1q1D4I5ARzsuuMZw17RvtIT7PwnQQPLPzk/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzI5MDcyLzE2OTUw/NzA5NjEtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}